“For where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them.” Matt.16:18

Church Planting has become a common by word among church people today. Mission agencies, Churches and the clergy, and the laity alike, share these common notions in their respective ministerial goals.

Methods in Church Planting vary. Practitioners of each method could testify of the effectiveness of the method used, learned or discovered that is important to the success in church planting.

However, these are simply variables, one could use, modify or invent another method in favor of other many unknown variables in the fields. In short, there is no perfect method in church planting nor could there be one to come. Methods just come and go – Church is constant and growing.

Church is made up of people. One or two who are gathered in His name, just the same, the Lord is there – same in hundreds or thousands of people. Church as a spiritual body is not made perfect by numbers just as 4 a perfect square. Mathematically speaking, a hundred does not diminish in value when distributed in ten tens or simply associated as a hundred. The church is a body of believers.

There is only one body of Christ, therefore there is only one Church, in spiritual sense. Where Christ is the head and the source of church ( people’s) life. Quantity therefore becomes immaterial in the spiritual sense, much more in the local sense. “ A church is church, when gathered, is also a church when scattered.”

A church planter must be aware of this simple truth. There is nothing wrong in conceiving mega church as a goal. Nothing wrong either into believing that for as long as there are people worshipping God in Spirit and Truth, be it two or three or more-it is a church, nonetheless.

Jesus said, the harvest indeed is plenteous, “church planters” are few (Italics for emphasis). A church planter always see the possibility of the ripened harvest. He must by all means conserve the fruit.

But in conserving the fruit, he must have the end in mind.(Borrowing Covey’s terminology) What would my church be like?( of course this is Christ church). Otherwise, he will only spoil some if not all.

There should be a willingness to begin to gather the fruit carefully as possible one step at a time. Which means to begin from the available resources at hand. Charles Brock may call it “ indigenous” materials.

Yes, it is important to count the cost first, before venturing into the fields, to ascertain what methods to use and the logistics. But allow me, if you may to simply start where the Lord the vineyard has planted us first, then he will tell us what to do next.

I just would like to enumerate some of my direct church planting experiences and sift through them some principles that may be of help:

1^st Chapter - in Vergonville, in Las Pinas City (Later became Shalom Baptist Church) in the early 80’s. When the Bartolome family transferred their residence from Sta.Ana Manila to Las Pinas. Our church in Manila sent me to lead a Bible study in order to start a mission point. We made a surveys in the area and we found two or three more Christian families there. We made our intention clear that we are going to start a work there, owing to the fact that the mother church is distant apart.

Members are very responsive ( I was that time inexperienced , and had no formal theological trainings yet) yet we are bound by a common vision of putting a new work there. We do evangelistic activities such partnership evangelistic activities with the foreign mission board, here Evangelist like Rev. Janz came ( there are about 3 movements of this kind during my terms), DVBS, home Bible studies, visitations etc.

In the span of five or so years, the new congregation, slowly but surely keeps on adding members and until such time that they are able to construct a church building. Prior to that of course, the group have been through exodus; from member’ s homes , garage, school building and rented facilities.

Shalom became the mother church of several churches in Las Pinas and Cavite areas.

2^nd Chapter – in Urbanville in 1997- Our kids are growing and we have to find work that will be enough to support our family and kids schooling. We move Soldier’s Hills 2 also in Las Pinas. After sometime, we visited old friends the Cruz family and the Catalan’s ( not really old – just same age) some 2 kms. away from our place. We told them about our intention to start a new work.

Since they are friends and are mature in the faith it is not hard to convince them. The fact that all of us have some pioneering experiences and have come from same religious backgrounds. We agreed to pioneer a work.

We started our 1^st worship service that Sunday in Urban Ville – we call it Urbanville Christian Fellowship ( in front of SM Mall). Urbanville is a close community of more or less 100-150 families. Our 1^st worship was attended by 3 families ( each with 3 kids). Our worship services went very well.

We do several evangelistic activities as Crusades, DBVS, film showing, camps and etc.

After 1 year, I asked the congregation to call their pastor because we are about to start a work in our own place in Soldiers Hills 2.

Only recently , I was invited again to preach (their 4^th pastor just left). I was amazed , to see how the worked improved greatly. There are two groups that rendered the special numbers the juniors and the young people. Men and Women are very energetic in leading the worship service that day.

I found out that the place they are now occupying inhibits them from growing. Given the potentials at hand. The three generations of believers the parents, the young and the children, made up this very promising church.

Urbanville is praying for a bigger place of worship.

3^rd Chapter (Present) – Soldiers Hills 2 – At first we started a as home Bible study in our place. Then we started a school ministry in Christianville . 1^st worship service in 1998 with 5 families attending in Christianville ( later moved to Soldiers Hills 2). In year’s time, we establish a Church and named it Grace Community Christian Church.

Soldiers Hills 2 has more or 400+ families in a close and guarded community. Religion is predominantly Catholics and the seat of Parochial influence even in more or less 3 barangays.

There are more or less 3 to 4 church planting activities in the area. All of them were able to gain following for quite sometime. None of them survived.

Grace Community is here because of God’s providence. We will be celebrating our 8^th Anniversary August of this year.

GCCC made several evangelistic activities like, home Bible studies, DVBS, Evangelistic Crusades, feeding programs and educational ministries. God had been very gracious to us that He continues to supply us all our needs.( we are only voluntary workers)

The members but their own chairs, we buy musical instruments, sound and equipments. We are also praying for our own church lot and building. With God nothing is impossible.

Just recently, we consecrated our stage, which our members for worship purposes. The church is meeting at the GCCA (school auditorium), has a maximum seating capacity of 80 persons. Our goal for this year is to make our sanctuary beautiful and conducive to worship and instructional needs of the people in the village.

Of course of work is not without its setback. When we transferred to Soldiers 2 – we literally lost 3 – families with few individuals. But this lost is not without its blessings as well. Here we started to encourage the family of Pastor Joe Maquiling to start a new work in Mary Homes, Molino Cavite. They started their Bible study in their own school premises. Right now they have their own building and the church is growing rather smooth and steady.

Presently, we are ministering to the following families: 2 Magluyans ( 2 families -one in CAA and one in Soldiers Hills), the Larraga’s , Arenas , San Miguels, Mahinay’s, the Floriano’s, Laurio’s, Luci’s and Ganhinhin’s and several individuals. Some families are big, some are small. More or less 70 to 80 in all including children. 40 % could be considered inactive because of distance – however, this situation may provide another opportunity for church planting.

To recap, let me just share some important elements present in the success of these church planting activities.

1. The willingness of the worker or church planter
   
2. The willingness of the people ( contacts, friends and others) who share the common vision with the church planter
3. The Timing, the place, the need.